A comparative review of construction site management practices : Malta and other countries

Abstract

Several incidents in the construction industry in Malta, involving the collapse of adjacent buildings in construction sites, have led Government, in 2019, to suspend all demolition and excavation works as well as to urgently review the relevant legislation in order to safeguard public safety. However, this quick fix together with, lack of clarity in the legislation and insufficient training, education and qualification, requires further serious assessment and analysis. This study seeks to analyse the current state of Maltese construction site management practices, due to the vagueness there seems to be in respect of the roles involved in construction projects in Malta, particularly with regard to the roles of a site manager and of a site technical officer. The research makes reference to the newly published legislation and aims to undertake a comparative review of the different practices, between Malta and other countries, the roles involved and their respective responsibilities. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to conduct this research. A selected number of Maltese and foreign construction site professionals, having diverse background and experience, were interviewed, and a survey was sent out to people involved in the construction industry, with a view to compare, confirm and contrast the qualitative results of the interviews. The findings reveal the level of uncertainty there is for the different roles involved in construction projects. Additionally, local practices of construction site management are lacking when compared to other countries, such as the UK. In fact, the results show that the recent legislation needs to be strengthened, even though it seems to have made some improvement. Overall, this topic needs greater attention and the local construction industry should be regulated professionally, like any other industry. It is imperative to not disregard its significance and making more efforts to better the construction industry in general, and improve health and safety practices on site, in order to avoid future unfortunate events.